Live Review: Ladyhawke, Gideon Bensen

Gideon Bensen’s fire burns furiously as he ignites his solo project before us. His boisterous personality hits us like a ton of bricks as he lays down his soulful deep rasps and aggressive guitar licks with a striking stare to hold our attention. His intense vocals are backed by a fusion of pulsating electronic beats and '80s rock to create an enigmatic, dark pop sound. It’s the last leg of the tour and he gives it everything he’s got with surging energy that exudes from every exhaling breath.

Being the headline tour of her third album, we’d expect to hear more songs from Ladyhawke's latest release. However, the set is predominately made up of material from her debut self-titled album (with one Anxiety track thrown in). The audience doesn’t seem to mind, though, as they sing along to every infectious chorus of each shimmering anthem. Ladyhawke, aka Pip Brown, takes her position behind the microphone stand that’s been decorated with a vibrant white tube of light for tonight’s show. Stage right, a bright neon sign illuminates her name in green and gold, alongside a palm tree and the title of her new album Wild Things. Brown glows before us and her long golden locks hang around her face. She clutches the microphone and dips straight into The River with plenty of pop hooks to reel us in.

It’s been three years since the Kiwi singer-songwriter last played a show in Melbourne and we’re certainly glad to have her back. Brown lets us know how happy she is to return to a place she once called home. As she introduces her bandmates, she explains how they all share a special bond through the lack of sleep and world travels that have brought them here with us tonight. 

The fifth song into the set is Professional Suicide and Brown decides it’s time for a quick outfit change as she pops a hat on and takes off her satin bomber jacket. She points out that, together, the text on her hat and long-sleeved shirt reads “CAPTAIN PARANOID” and laughs off the unplanned coincidence. Brown picks up her bright yellow guitar and continues with the entrancing ‘80s-tinged pop hit Magic, beneath a kaleidoscopic display of strobe lights.

She trades in her guitar for a tambourine on latest single Let It Roll, which is the standout of her new live material. Her carefree and casual style shines through and inspires us to let go as the sweeping choruses wash over us. For those in the front row who catch a glimpse of the setlist taped to the stage floor, a two-song encore is expected although My Delirium brings the show to a close. The remaining album title track Wild Things is perhaps saved for another time.

As we leave the venue, we grab a flyer announcing another upcoming Ladyhawke tour date scheduled for October, which we hope is a much bigger celebration of her new material.